26th District House, Position 2: Seaquist, Richards clash in Round Two

Political newcomer Doug Richards gave two-term incumbent Larry Seaquist a surprisingly close race two years ago. With some experience under his belt, the Olalla firefighter hopes to reverse the outcome in the Nov. 6 general election.

"The name of the game in any campaign is name recognition," said Richards. "If you think about it, last election we pretty much had zero name recognition."

That changed after the 43-year-old knocked on 14,000 doors in 2010 and hit another 10,000 so far this year. The campaign kept its strong points and fixed the weak ones.

"We think it's a much better process this time around because we know what we're getting into," Richards said.

Seaquist, 74, says he's disappointed the Republicans are more aggressive and negative this year, which doesn't help voters analyze issues. Richards, a battalion chief for South Kitsap Fire & Rescue, doesn't see it that way. At least he doesn't see the candidates themselves throwing mud.

"As far as Larry and I are concerned, I don't notice much difference in our relations," he said.

Seaquist, D-Gig Harbor, isn't resting on his incumbent advantage. He has conducted a series of telephone town halls and is planning Internet chat meetings. The margin widened to 5 percentage points in primary-election voting.

"It is still a swing district," Seaquist said. "There's a reason why they say when running for office you've got to work all the way to the last day."

Education Funding

The McCleary decision will force the state to increase its funding of K-12 education, and both governor candidates have a plan, said Richards. He supports more funding for schools, but not through creating new tax revenues.

"Fund education first," he said. "If you need additional revenues, they have to be based on funding lower-priority government and we can determine if that's necessary or not."

Seaquist, chairman of the Higher Education Committee, said he's trying to figure out specifically what higher education needs. Tuition cuts? More engineering graduates?

"Right now my focus is on what do we need in education so we can go to the voters and ask them, 'Is this a priority?' I don't have an answer," he said. "I know we're going to have to act. The question is, what are we asking for and what reforms are we showing as credentials to go ahead?"

Ferry Funding

Ferries have to be funded as part of the highway system, which is what they are, and not separately, Seaquist said.

"Our primary focus has got to be on making sure the ferries are an integral part of the overall transportation budget so we're not always being asked to find separate money," he said.

Richards says Washington State Ferries' expenses can be reduced, but the state has to step up to its responsibilities of funding the balance.

"Before we say we need to throw more money at it, I say there's expenses that need to be reduced, but ultimately it's part of the transportation budget and you have to make sure it's prioritized in that transportation budget," Richards said.

Seaquist wants to perform a "basic rethink" of Washington State Ferries' long-range plan, looking at fleet construction related to service needs, and the use of new technologies.

Discover Pass

The Discover Pass, which allows visitors into state parks for $30 per year or $10 per day, isn't working, Seaquist said. He intends to ask the state to drop it and fund parks through the general budget like it used to be.

"Parks are an important basic service just like roads citizens expect us to deliver," he said.

Richards says the pass is an example of government overestimating revenues. Like Seaquist, he suggests paying for state parks through the general fund, like they used to be, but supplemented by pass fees. He'd lower the fee to increase attendance and look into partnerships with other organizations.

"It needs to be anchored into the general fund," he said. "State parks are one of the priorities of government."

Other Interests

Both candidates want to hold down Tacoma Narrows Bridge tolls, which have increased from $1.75 to $4 per trip for most travelers, and are poised to keep climbing.

Seaquist will ask to cap the rate and make up the difference with gas tax revenues.

"We're reaching the level where we can't go much higher," he said. "Put a ceiling on tolls and bring in gas tax, just like they do on all other tolling projects in the state."

Richards believes construction bonds can be refinanced to lower interest payments, though the state says they can't. He also thinks Highway 302, which runs from Purdy to Mason County, is dangerous and needs to be fixed. Residents need to be brought together to agree on a solution, then it needs to be funded and built.